Netflix’s latest show Apple Cider Vinegar has the internet buzzing, but it has also left viewers questioning how much of the series is based on true events. While the show draws inspiration from real-life events, the creators have taken creative liberties by altering certain plotlines and characters.
Though Belle Gibson is portrayed authentically, some side characters have been renamed or merged for storytelling purposes. Here’s a breakdown of five key characters and their real-life counterparts:
Kaitlyn Dever as Belle Gibson
Belle Gibson was a wellness influencer who built an empire based on the false claim that she had terminal brain cancer. The show accurately depicts how she gained fame, launched a wellness app, and deceived the public until investigative journalists exposed her. While Gibson’s current whereabouts remain unknown, she is believed to be living in Melbourne under a low profile.
Alycia Debnam-Carey as Milla Blake
Milla Blake, Belle’s fictional rival in the show, is based on real-life wellness influencer Jessica Ainscough. A former teen magazine editor, Ainscough went viral for claiming to have improved her rare soft-tissue cancer (Epithelioid Sarcoma) without chemotherapy. Like Milla in the show, Ainscough tragically passed away at 29.
Aisha Dee as Chantelle
Chantelle is a composite character inspired by two figures from Belle Gibson’s real life. One is Jessica Ainscough’s manager, mentioned in The Woman Who Fooled the World, and the other is Gibson’s former friend Chanelle McAuliffe. McAuliffe played a key role in exposing Gibson’s fraud and was recently featured in the ITV documentary Instagram’s Worst Con Artist.
Ashley Zukerman as Clive Rotwell
Clive Rotwell, portrayed by Ashley Zukerman, is based on a real person of the same name. Clive was Belle Gibson’s partner and a father figure to her son. While he helped Gibson register her brand, he eventually grew suspicious of her lies. Despite knowing the truth, he remained by her side out of love. Since Gibson’s legal battles in 2019 and 2023, Rotwell has kept a low profile and reportedly relocated.
Mark Coles Smith as Justin
Justin is a fictional character loosely inspired by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, the Australian investigative journalists who exposed Belle Gibson. In real life, they uncovered her fraudulent claims about donating revenue to charity and revealed inconsistencies in her backstory. Their current whereabouts remain unknown.
While Apple Cider Vinegar takes creative liberties, it sheds light on a real-life scandal that shocked the world, blending fact with fiction to tell a compelling story.